Why do people buy ISP routers on ebay?

waqasahmed

Vodafone don't want to take their kit back it seems 
I've had Virgin Media stuff for like two years too. I did wonder if there is indeed a market for used ISP routers but really, other than bad WiFi, what's the point?

What would anyone actually gain except perhaps just a bit of equipment to provide WiFi? And if so, there's cheaper equipment for that anyway 

flaneurs_lobster

Are you asking if there IS a market for used routers?

Just go and look on eBay/Gumtree/Your marketplace of choice and see?

Veteransaver

There is a market for them for people who's current router is broken.
Also most routers can be used as additional access points

waqasahmed

flaneurs_lobster said:

Are you asking if there IS a market for used routers?

Just go and look on eBay/Gumtree/Your marketplace of choice and see?

No I know there is. I'm just wondering why people buy them 

waqasahmed

Veteransaver said:

There is a market for them for people who's current router is broken.
Also most routers can be used as additional access points

I guess the AP bit makes sense. The ISPs lock en down otherwise. You can't just plonk them in and have them work 

Owain_Moneysaver

Some of them can be modified to run other software like Openwrt

atlantis187

I've just changed my vodafone broadband and they want the equipment back

Newcad

Various reasons,

To replace a broken one, or an older inferior one, to use as an aditional access point/wifi extender, etc.

"You can't just plonk them in and have them work"
Yes and No - they are not plug-and-play, except that when you get one from a broadband provider it is pre-configured to connect to the ISP who provided it and pre-configured with your ISP account details.
It you want to use it with a different provider then you have to connect it to, and log it it into, your ISP account with them, using your ISP username and password with them.
('Factory Reset' an old or second hand one and it's just as if you bought a brand new one yourself and need to set it up yourself).

I have a spare Technicolor Gateway that my previous supplier didn't want back, for a while I had it set up as a local wifi network with no internet connection - for file sharing between devices, wifi printing, and my own 'cloud' storage NAS.
You could do the same kind of local network for your IoT devices, wifi cameras, etc. and never have them go near the web.
Plus because they are then on their own network you can allocate them to a different channel than the wifi that you use to access the internet to avoid channel congestion.

waqasahmed

Newcad said:

Various reasons,

To replace a broken one, or an older inferior one, to use as an aditional access point/wifi extender, etc.

"You can't just plonk them in and have them work"
Yes and No - they are not plug-and-play, except that when you get one from a broadband provider it is pre-configured to connect to the ISP who provided it and pre-configured with your ISP account details.
It you want to use it with a different provider then you have to connect it to, and log it it into, your ISP account with them, using your ISP username and password with them.
('Factory Reset' an old or second hand one and it's just as if you bought a brand new one yourself and need to set it up yourself).

I have a spare Technicolor Gateway that my previous supplier didn't want back, for a while I had it set up as a local wifi network with no internet connection - for file sharing between devices, wifi printing, and my own 'cloud' storage NAS.
You could do the same kind of local network for your IoT devices, wifi cameras, etc. and never have them go near the web.
Plus because they are then on their own network you can allocate them to a different channel than the wifi that you use to access the internet to avoid channel congestion.

Ahhh I thought they'd have individual internal configuration ie: we used to send kit out that was for ADSL and we had to authenticate our equipment to a Radius server

This is why I was like it's not plug and play even if it's your current provider perhaps because we would absolutely just disable the registration to that specific device

I have an Omada setup these days but I've had a Fortinet thingy before too 

Newcad

There may well be some that are hardware locked and can't be used except by the original customer, or by someone else on the providers network (like a locked phone).

I've not heard of one like that but wouldn't be surprised with some BB providers.

I doubt that anyone would try to resell one that was locked in like that, at least not without saying so, - but you never know.